Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities concluded he posed a definite escape threat while under domestic detention.
The former head of state was convicted of orchestrating a military coup in last fall and handed more than 27 years in prison, but he remained under house arrest pending appeals.
High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the 70-year-old politician was a safety action after fresh information were revealed.
This involved seeking to disable his tracking device and a call for a demonstration that could enable a potential flight.
Court Filing Details Escape Risks
In a paperwork permitting the arrest, the judge said information from the centre monitoring the former president's confinement suggested the former leader's plan to remove the tracking monitor to ensure success in his getaway".
This, it said, would be made easier by the chaos caused by the protest called by his child.
His offspring, his son Flávio, who works as a senator, called for a gathering of his followers near the former president's residence to take place on the weekend.
The senator wrote on social media on the previous day: Will you battle for your nation, or watch it all from your phone there on your couch? I invite you to struggle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so followers could offer prayers for his well-being and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our country."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of the magistrate's ruling was the potential of his transfer to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a history of arranging to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.
The court filing emphasizes that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, the capital city, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from his dwelling.
Global Responses
Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist United States President President Trump, causing him to impose a 50% tariff on Brazilian product imports.
He is being kept in a Federal Police station in Brasilia and will undergo a custody hearing on the next day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on Friday that the his legal team asked the Top Court to allow him to serve his whole jail sentence under house arrest, with tracking devices.
They also asked that Bolsonaro be authorized to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he needed regular treatment for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.
Background on Conviction
Bolsonaro was found guilty of leading a conspiracy aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the national vote to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Supreme Court justices said that he had knowledge of a plan which encompassed plans to assassinate the current president and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been managing the former president's case.
The scheme was thwarted because it didn't receive the support of the army and air force commanders. His successor was took office without issue on January 1st, 2023.
But a seven days after, on 8 January, thousands of his followers attacked and damaged government buildings in the national capital, Brasília.
The police took action and around fifteen hundred individuals were detained.
The judges found that the protesters had been incited by him whose plan, they said, was for the Brazilian military to step in, restore order and return him to office.
At the moment, the legal team called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also banned from running for public office until the year 2060 - eight years after the end of his sentence.
The one-time head of state called the trial a political persecution and said it was intended to stop him participating in the next presidential race.
